Justice News

Roswell City Councilman convicted of producing child pornography

ATLANTA – Former Roswell, Georgia, city council member Kent Igleheart has pleaded guilty to four counts of producing child pornography, one count of receiving child pornography, and one count of possessing child pornography.

“By persuading his minor victims to create and share graphic images of themselves online, Igleheart has caused these children to suffer ongoing and irreparable harm,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak. “No one expects to see a community leader behave in this kind of heinous manner, and this betrayal of public trust underscores the need for parents to remain aware of how their children are using the internet and social media.”

“There is no sentence that can lessen the harm that has been caused to these young children, but at least this suspect will be stopped from pursuing his egregious acts,” said David J. LeValley, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Unfortunately, this is another stark reminder to parents to be extremely vigilant when their children go online and use social media.”

According to U.S. Attorney Pak, the charges, and evidence presented at court: In October 2016, E.B. then 17 years old, contacted the DeKalb County Internet Crimes Against Children Unit to report that she had been communicating online since she was 13 years old with someone who had portrayed himself to be 17 years old. E.B. reported that she had exchanged sexually graphic photographs and had sexually explicit conversations with the individual. E.B. later discovered that the person with whom she was communicating was Igleheart – not the teenage boy depicted in Igleheart’s profile photograph.

Igleheart acknowledged that he and E.B. had exchanged sexually graphic photographs beginning when she was 13 years old. He had also booked a hotel and made plans to meet with E.B. on October 20, 2016, to engage in sexual activity with her. Investigators arrested him when he arrived at the Northlake Mall, the pre-arranged location. DeKalb County investigators and the FBI conducted searches of Igleheart’s phones and computers and found some of the images that E.B. had produced and sent to the defendant at his request.

Searches of Igleheart’s phones and computers also revealed that he posed online as “Kent Allen.” He presented himself as a teenage boy between the ages of 14 and 17 years and engaged in sexually graphic communications with numerous teenage girls, some of whom were as young as 13 years old. During these conversations, Igleheart persuaded and enticed the girls to take photographs of their genitalia and videos of themselves engaging in sexual conduct and transmit the images to him via the Internet.

Kent Igleheart, 54, of Roswell, Georgia, was convicted of four counts of producing child pornography, one count of receiving child pornography, and one count of possessing child pornography. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for March 26, 2018, before U.S. District Judge Amy Totenberg.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the DeKalb County, Georgia, Police Department.

This case is being brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In February 2006, the Attorney General launched Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices around the country, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.